commands and traditions

How are traditions born? The tradition of throwing our caps in the air at graduation, for example, or tossing the bouquet at a wedding. Or church traditions, like profession of faith, or first communion, or singing the Hallelujah Chorus at Easter. 

Traditions are often good. They can help us remember important things, they can help us know how to act and fit in. But they can also take the place of true faith. 

Once, Jesus was criticized because his disciples ate without the ritual washing of their hands. This is how Jesus responded, from Mark 7:6-9: 

“He replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘“These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human rules.”’

“‘You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.’

“And he continued, ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!’”

We’re talking about this topic in our Bible Study - the things we might be doing as a church that get in the way of others, especially those from outside our tradition, from worshipping. We have a lot of standards for dress and behavior. We have a lot of ways of measuring spirituality. Some things we use to compare ourselves, other things we use to ensure conformity.

How many of the things we define our church by are merely human rules? How much of our “obedience” is honoring God with our lips, while our hearts are in our own kingdoms? Do we ever set aside the commands of God in order to observe our own traditions?

By God’s grace, not to the extent the Pharisees did, but it’s still a danger. And it’s one that comes not from the church as an institution but from individual hearts.